North Texas voters find sanitized process at polls in mostly smooth trial run for November - The Dallas Morning News

As voters went to the polls for Tuesday’s primary runoff elections, they found a changed environment with poll workers guiding them through a redesigned process to reduce the potential to spread the coronavirus.

That meant signs urging social distancing and voters being given instruments to use on touch screens. It was the first election the state has conducted amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Since there were few races on the ballot, elections officials said they would use the July runoff, which had been delayed due to the virus, to test safety measures that may be needed in November, when Americans will go to the polls to choose a president.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, political observers suggested November’s general election could see record-breaking turnout as voters are eager to cast their vote for or against President Donald Trump.

Since the pandemic hit the United States, both major political parties and election administrators have been locked in a debate on how to ensure a safe and fair election. In Texas, that meant several lawsuits over mail ballots and local governments spending millions of equipment to beef up sanitization at polling locations.

When Texans voted in the presidential primary on Super Tuesday in March, some polling stations saw voters waiting hours to cast their ballots. However, this time, there were few reports of long lines at polling places that could have made it difficult for voters to stand six feet apart.

There were reports, though, of poll workers and others not wearing masks.

Gov. Greg Abbott's statewide mask order has several exemptions, including for people who are voting, assisting a voter, serving as a poll watcher or actively administering an election. Still, Abbott's order notes that "wearing a face covering is strongly encouraged."

Abbott has said he didn't apply the mandate to voters because he didn't want to "deny somebody the ability to go vote simply because they don't have a mask."

"They are not mandated for people to go vote because we didn't want anybody to say, well they couldn't vote because they didn't have a mask," he said during a town hall on July 2. "However, we know that the safest way to go vote is by wearing a mask."

On social media Tuesday evening, many Dallas County voters said that they felt safe while casting their ballots and had not experienced problems.

Before noon, Dallas County Democratic Party Chairwoman Carol Donovan said voting had been going smoothly.

Donovan said despite protective measures, the party had difficulty securing enough ballot workers.

“The biggest issue occurred prior to the election when 10% of the election judges withdrew due to the post-opening flare-up of COVID-19,” she said in a text. “We have taken great precautions to protect our voters and election workers, including sanitizing vote centers and providing masks and gloves.”

There also were reports of early minor glitches at a polling station in Dallas.

Ten to 12 people couldn’t vote for the first half-hour polls were open at Dallas’ Reverchon Park Recreation Center after voting machines had trouble printing ballots, poll worker Daniel Foyt said.

”I’ve been an election judge for 20 years, and it’s always frustrating to have to ask people to wait or that we’re not able to provide them with a place to vote right away,” he said.

But 30 minutes later, he and another poll worker found a machine that would work, he said.

And after polls closed, a technical glitch on the Secretary of State’s web site later caused a slight delay in the reporting of vote totals.

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North Texas voters find sanitized process at polls in mostly smooth trial run for November - The Dallas Morning News
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